One key worker, child should stay home

[Areyouactuallyseriousrightnow]

Not sure if there has already been a thread but AIBU to think that if only one parent is key worker and other is WFH, child should be staying home as school provision is for key workers who cannot complete their important role if they have to look after child at home, not so that the other parent can continue with work without interruption?

My partner is a key worker, but I don’t consider us eligible as I am home and therefore technically can be with the children.

YABU- if there’s one key worker take that opportunity to send the child in.
YANBU- if there’s another parent at home, child should stay home.

A school my friend teaches in told me that during lockdown one they 6 children attend out of over 600. So they we hardly full of children of pisstakers

Perhaps op if you had a job impossible to do at home whilst giving your children what they needed you’d feel differently.

Exactly 2% of children attended in the first lockdown. Hardly overrun with pisstakers.

Totally agree with pp key worker list is waaaay too long.

It should be work that's absolutely critical so nurses, bin men, supermarket workers not accounts that happen to work for a nursing home

You realise that someone who works in accounts for a care home will be fairly crucial to its operation? They’re probably responsible for payroll, fulfilling contracts for food, and fulfilling contracts for equipment, for example. Just because someone’s work isn’t essential to you doesn’t mean it isn’t essential.

And yet, as a PP has pointed out, even with all the ‘pisstakers’, and the ‘waaaay too long’ list of keyworkers, only 2% of children went to school during the last lockdown. It’s a made up issue.

I also know of several people (myself included) who muddled through last time, our own dc were left to get on with it so we could prioritise our ‘key work’. While those parents who were furloughed, were able to sit and spend hours on school work, elaborate craft projects and ‘making memories’.

I’ve several friends who didn’t apply for key worker places last time, who have made it a priority this year. Just because you can just about manage (I say manage, I mean basically just scrape through each day), if there is an alternative (Sending the dc to school), people should not be made to feel guilty to take it.

@Dishwashersaurous

All those saying wfh and look after kids at the same time.

Even though I am at home I am working absolutely flat out every second of the day. I don’t have time for lunch and barely manage a toilet break let alone supervisor of young infant children

Unfortunately if you're not a key worker the narrative is you just have to suck it up and work 24 hours a day.

I'm in the same boat. Will no doubt end up limiting my day time work to the essential zoom calls (still 4-6 hours worth per day), homeschooling 2 kids around that and then working 8pm-midnight to catch up.

It sucks.

@sst1234

WFH doesn’t mean available for childcare. Who’s going to do the work?

It does. Single parents have been doing both since last March, and that’s with my job coming under Keyworker status as well.

@Waxonwaxoff0 Single parent households with a parent wfh full time considered V in our school, so therefore offered a place if available.

In LD1 DD then 16mo’s nursery didn’t allow her in as I was ‘at home’. Usual grandparent childcare not allowed. Parents of my class then complained that toddler interrupted Zoom sessions and wanted to know why I didn’t take up my ‘key worker childcare place’.

Ideally, the DFE would create a ranked priority list for KW/V places and schools then work out their capacity and offer places based on that list.

I mean, even more ideally we’d have a DFE that would fund safety measures in schools to allow them to stay fully open...

Both our schools (primary and secondary) have a policy where both parents (or the single resident parent) has to be critical worker/s working out of the home. If anyone is at home (wfh, sahp, maternity) the DC don't get a place and they want proof. I think its fair. If every kid with one key worker parent got in then you may as well reopen the schools. Its shit but parents have to suck it up. I've had to change my work role to be able to wfh. I don't have any sympathy as we are all facing different difficulties. One person/family isn't more important than another.

I'm a teacher. My DD's school rung me last lockdown and said they had reserved a place for each of them, regardless of whether or not I would need it, we didn't need it throughout the majority of lockdown, but DD1 used her key worker place when DD2 (Y1) went back mid June.

DH is off work recovering from surgery, so if the schools close this time then we won't send them in until he starts working again.

Under the first lockdown it was only if both parents were key workers wasn't it? My DH is a key worker but we were both at home so kept them off.

Most dual workers of small children I knew drove themselves to a near breakdown last time. I suspect anyone like a sniff of a key worker place will be taking it. Your initial post was pretty sanctimonious really.

Depends on the job and the children’s needs. My Dh cannot do his job and provide for the needs of our teens he just can’t. He tried last time with catastrophic results. We’re still battling with the impact. Not making that mistake again.

@Tiquismiquis

Most dual workers of small children I knew drove themselves to a near breakdown last time. I suspect anyone like a sniff of a key worker place will be taking it. Your initial post was pretty sanctimonious really.

This. It nearly broke me last time. I really don't think I can do it again.

If I can send DS to school then he's going. It will be the best thing to do for all of us.

Your assuming the other parent will be able to take care of the child/children. What if they aren’t able to work from home, have to work but aren’t considered key workers. Or single key worker parents who can’t work from home.

Fair enough if families don’t need to send the children in, save the space but someone who needs it. But it should not be a blanket rule that it has to be 2 key worker parents.

I am a keyworker as I am a therapist dealing with some Clients who are experiencing addiction, poor mental health and high anxiety. I have worked from home since March and since then have had to switch to telephone or zoom consultations only. I also have a 3 year old who if I am at home will want to see me and doesn't understand that I need quiet when talking in the phone. She will cry and scream if I am trying to work. I had to do it when her nursery shut and it was impossible. My dh used to take her out which helped but then it was summer and even then couldn't be out all of the time. He was also wfh. I do not want to have to go through that again. My dd suffered without my time and attention and my clients suffered from me not being able to do my job.

Both myself and dh are keyworkers but I am able to wfh so the last lockdown my dc were at home (both teens so would have been able to stay home anyway). However if this time round kids in school are going to be taught rather than just babysat then I will consider sending them in. One dc has GCSEs this year and they will learn a lot more from teachers than from me and so selfishly I might send them in if keyworkers/vulnerable kids are getting a better education 🤷‍♀️

As many people have said last time people muddled through with 22hr days and in many cases it almost broke them. They got through it by the skin of their teeth and are now exhausted and broken.

The thought of having to do it all over again will be resulting in many many people sitting sobbing hopelessly tonight.

You are incredibly fortunate if you don’t have to juggle work and childcare and can manage both seamlessly.

But please don’t judge people doing vital low paid jobs who are struggling to cope.

I know it may not be possible for everyone, but surely some people in this scenario could utilise the childcare bubble loophole?

No offence OP but if both parents worked from home in non keyworker professions and had constant kids interrupting their important roles they'd not get them in school. I appreciate the difficulty but personally I'd rather keep my kids safe at home than send them into school where in a likeliness Covid spread is rife

@randomsabreuse

Problem is many crucial keyworkers are the family's lower earner so might end up forced (by their need to pay mortgage/bills) to be the one who stays at home...

No one size fits all answer.

If you have an alternative that allows your family to cope, don't send them in. If not sending them will cause you major problems and school will permit, send them.

If SEN/vulnerable discuss with school, considering best interests of all concerned/balance of risks.

This^

No point trying to work out a blanket rule.

I'm a keyworker, cannot work from home. But OH cannot do his job and even vaguely care for kids as well. He earns way more so when/if it comes to the crunch it's clear whose job will be sacrificed. Simple economics for us.

Kinda rubbish that the keyworker is often the lower paid. Funny that.

I've had to change my work role to be able to wfh. I don't have any sympathy as we are all facing different difficulties. One person/family isn't more important than another.

We're really not all in the same boat, you know. Same storm, different boats.

• Some of us, like you, can "change our work role" to make life easier.
• Some of us (including some key workers) can afford to take unpaid leave and rely on our partner's salary.
• Some of us have flexible employers who understand the situation.
• Some of us can access furlough for childcare reasons.
• Some of us only work part-time or have the sort of job that entails sending a few emails every now and again and that's it.
• Some of us have a wfh partner who can share the load.
• Some of us can afford a temporary nanny or babysitter to cover school closures.
• Some of us have family support like grandparents who can babysit.

Meanwhile, some people are facing the "different difficulties" of poor pay, financial difficulties, multiple children, night shifts, being single parents, both parents working out of the home, no family support, inflexible employers and stressful, full-time jobs where they were already working 10-12 hours a day.

I'm glad you've found a way to make it work for you.

Oh I wish people would just keep their beaks out.

The list of kw is set by government. The school.knows how many spaces. If you're eligible make the right decision - for your family, your child.

I’m not classed as a key worker but a public sector employee who doesn’t qualify for furlough. Other people doing my job in different counties have been classed as key workers. I’m not a key worker but my work too essential to stop?

I have a 20m old and my husband works away 1/3-1/2 the month.

It’s a bloody nightmare working around a toddler. Impossible. I got so depressed last time, I asked for unpaid leave and was refused. I v nearly quit.

YABU.

First lockdown there was no childcare bubble allowed.

It’s possible this time but many of those bubbles are grandparents. What is more risky for resulting in someone getting seriously ill from Covid - a child being in a school setting or with an elderly relative?